FARMINGTON – The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area held its 2004 Charity Auction this fall at the Granary Restaurant and Brew Pub, raising more than $7,000 toward the organization’s annual drive and drawing greater attention to United Way’s role in supporting critical services to the region.

Organizers of the event sought to encourage widespread participation in the group’s 2004 annual campaign, which seeks to raise $425,000 by Jan. 1, 2004 and is chaired by Leah Binder, executive director of the Healthy Community Coalition, and her husband, Sam Elowitch, project coordinator of the Rural Broadband Initiative.

David Morgan, husband of UWTVA Executive Director Nancy Morgan and an employee of Farmington Ford, coordinated the event with the assistance of Anita Dunham, the Harris family (Adrian, Jeff, Debbie, and Jessica), Roger Lambert and the United Way office. “The whole idea for this started when Jim Bouffard of Bouffard’s Furniture in Farmington, who generously donated a beautiful chair to us,” explains David Morgan. Out of that experience grew the concept for an auction to which business and private individuals could donate unneeded but valuable items to support the fund-raising drive.

More information about UWTVA can be found by visiting their Web site http://www.uwtva.org or by calling 207-778-5048.